Captain Jack’s Paradox Sandwich
by Cute Gallifreyan
Summary: Captain Jack visits an old friend.


**Title: Captain Jack's Paradox Sandwich  
Author: Cute Gallifreyan  
Word Count: 1,051  
Summary: Captain Jack visits an old friend.  
Notes: Task 2 Fiction for competition for Torchwood's Secret Forum. **

**Random crack fic, making mention of Jack seeing Rose during her growing up years. **

**Captain Jack's Paradox Sandwich**

Jack smiled softly watching the little girl play at a small little park. It was close by to a little church. He had watched that fateful day from the shadows, the day that the Doctor and Rose had come to see her father's death. He had meant to see how baby Rose was doing and had had almost ran into that pair, he had no idea that they would be there, but he should have realized that Rose would have wanted to see her father. If he had run into them that would have created a paradox. It had been dangerous enough tracking down Rose and her family. As he watched events unfold that day near the church, the day that those creatures came out of nowhere. They swallowed everything in their path but left him alone. Why, he had no idea. They often got close to him but it was as if they could not stomach him or bear his presence. They shrieked in terror at him and then ran off and consumed someone else. He knew he could not die, perhaps it had something to do with this fact that these monstrous creatures could not bear him. He turned away from his thoughts and watched the girl swing on a swing. He always kept an eye on her and watched from a distance as she played and grew up.

How he longed to say hello to her and get to know her but that was impossible. It would interfere with time and create a paradox. No, he could not interfere. So he stood there in his long black trench coat watching the girl. Sometimes her hair was just plain and uncut but this time she wore her hair in pigtails and a cute little jumper with polka dots on it. He smiled, Rose's mum, Jackie must have done her hair up. She seemed quite pleased with her pigtails as she sometimes played with her hair. It was cute, hell with it; Rose Tyler really was a cute kid. He suddenly caught in his sights a young black boy that was a lot older than Rose come up the block and to the park. Jack recognized the boy, it was Mickey. Mickey Smith. The one the Doctor would call 'the idiot' and mock him and run him down. He remembered the day he had met Mickey. Not too bad a guy, a bit thick at times. They had sat there in Cardiff at a restaurant and Mickey looked like he was lost and out of the loop. Okay, so maybe the Doctor had been a bit harsh on him. It wasn't Mickey's fault that he was out of the loop; the truth was that the Doctor hadn't really treated the kid too fairly at times. Maybe that would change one of these days.

Jack got closer just to see what was going on. The young boy wearing a simple shirt and trousers glared at Rose and muttered, "I am hungry. What you got for lunch?"

Rose looked up at Mickey, "Leave me alone." 

The young boy suddenly pushed Rose out of the swing that she was on and to the ground. Jack glared at him, of all things Mickey Smith, A bully? He never knew that the kid had it in him to be that way. "Now give me your lunch or else." Jack was about to interfere when suddenly Rose got up, she had a few tears in her eyes. She had skinned knees and she had been crying. She dried the tears from her face and then stated, "I'll give you my lunch. How about a knuckle sandwich?" He watched as Mickey's eyes went wide surprised that a little girl would defend herself. Normally the little girls he picked on usually caved right in. But Jack watched as Rose firmly curled up her little hands into a fist and gave Mickey a good punch right in his eye. Mickey suddenly started crying almost immediately and suddenly ran off. He had the beginnings of a black eye forming around his eye. Jack chuckled lightly; leave it to Rose to have the upper hand. He didn't notice it but suddenly Mickey ran right into him. He was crying his little eyes out. Jack froze, he ought to leave before this turned out making some distortion in time. He backed off suddenly, "Sorry kid."

Mickey latched onto Jack hard; didn't Rose say something about Mickey as a young tyke latching onto people? Jack shuddered lightly. So much for not getting involved in things, "I saw what happened, you shouldn't pick on girls. Especially on someone that is younger than you."

"But I am hungry and I forgot my lunch," Mickey said.

Jack chuckled, "Well have you ever thought of just asking politely. You know I bet she would have shared if you just said you were hungry and ask if she minded sharing some of her lunch."

Mickey pondered those words, it hadn't occurred to him to just ask and to ask nicely. He turned back to look at Rose for a moment. He then turned around to ask the strange man his name only to find him running away. Mickey wiped the tears away from his face. He didn't want to have tears on his face going back to a girl. When he finally went back over to Rose he said, "I am sorry…." He said with his head down, "But I forgot my lunch and…."

Rose suddenly said with a smile on her face, "Would you like some of mine?" 

Rose took out a sandwich from her things and broke it in half and handed another half to Mickey. Mickey sniffed lightly. "I am sorry I tried to take your lunch."

Rose stated calmly, "I am sorry I hit you but….you sort of had it coming."

Mickey nodded and he said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome..."

Mickey then said, "I am Mickey Smith." 

Rose nodded and said, "Nice to meet you, I am Rose Tyler. Maybe we ought to be friends."

Mickey grinned, "Really?" 

"Yea," Rose said. The two finished having lunch and then Mickey gently pushed Rose on the swing. Somewhere in the shadows Jack stood and watched. Okay, so maybe he was suppose to interfere just this once…


End file.
